Passing the Steel Baton [Yuletide 2020]

Hello all, and sorry for its lateness, but here's my first Yuletide 2020 story! This fic was made for Manchee, and I hope you all enjoy this as well!




Byron hates the ringing.

Every day it’s the same story. The alarm goes off at 5 AM exactly, but of course he doesn’t hear it right away. Tinnitus is always at its worst in the mornings. It’s not until he feels the tap of Titan’s snout on his foot that he realizes the alarm is going off.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” he mumbles, haphazardly tapping his dresser until he finds his alarm, shutting it off for the day. His hand flops around for a couple more seconds before landing on a plastic container. Palming it, he brings it over to him, unplugs it from its charging cable, and cracks it open, revealing two small, transparent hearing aids. He plugs them into his ears and turns the knob.

And the ringing, which has been ever-present throughout the night and early morning, is covered up once again.

“Okay, rust-bucket, I’m up,” Byron growls, hearing his bastiodon’s low rumbling grunts, as he groggily rises from his sheets. He can feel his old bones crack and pop as he yawns, stretching the morning’s soreness from his frame. He slowly takes some steps to his bathroom and starts preparing himself for the day.

The face that he sees in the mirror is one that shows its age. His burgundy hair’s a mess (but then again, he never bothered to comb it anyway), with a little bit of salt growing into the paprika. The crow’s feet that had been subtly present when Lucas had defeated him are more prominent now, and the bags under his eyes have grown slightly more pronounced.

Damn, I’m old.

A quick shower, tooth-brushing session, and dressing later, he is ready to start his day. Titan is lumbering by his side, while the rest of his team are hanging from his belt, sequestered neatly in their pokéballs. Byron feels Titan tap his horned snout against his side, chuffing with excitement.

“Yeah, I hear ya, bud,” he chuckles, patting his massive frill. “Today’s the big day. You ready to put on a show?” The bastiodon lets out a low moo in response.

Good. Got a long day ahead. It’s nice to see at least one of us is chipper.


Sometimes it’s nice when one’s aesthetic turns into an actual help. For the most part, Byron’s outfit – a baggy miner’s outfit with tattered pants and a dark brown cape – was part of the show as a Gym Leader. He was a miner by trade (long since retired), so he has to look the part. However, another part of the outfit, an old, now rusty shovel, sorta comes in handy every now and again.

Especially at this very moment, where his legs are beginning to stiffen after only half an hour of standing up. It’s a very nice impromptu cane.

“Doin’ okay, Gramps?” he hears someone shout. “Don’t want you to fall over before she gets here!”

Byron sighs. “Nice part about goin’ deaf is I can’t always hear the snark, Candice,” he chuckles, turning to face her. “I’ll pretend I missed that.”

“Ah, you know you love it!” she responds, in a way where he can very clearly read her lips. All the other Gym Leaders, who’ve also gathered in the Gym with them, laugh with the two of them.

Byron will never admit it, but he’s so incredibly happy about Roark letting the rest of the leaders know about his hearing loss. Though it’s too much to ask for everyone to learn CSL, they at least know to let him see their mouths so he can lip-read.

Every bit counts.

“How’re you feeling, Dad?” Roark asks, walking toward his father. “Feeling okay with hanging it up after today?”

“And have more time to spend in Oreburgh bugging you and your wife? Oh, I can get behind that.” Byron laughs, causing Gardenia to turn away and blush a bit. “In all seriousness, though, it’s time. You know it, I know it, the League knows it. No sense putting it off longer than I need to.” He smiles. “Besides, it gives me more time to spend with you and the family. It’s been far too long since I’ve had the chance to actually catch up face-to-face, not over a video chat.”

“That I can get behind,” Roark responds. He seems to hear something, as he quickly taps Byron’s shoulder. {She’s here,} he signs, backing up towards the bleachers where the rest of the Leaders are sitting. {Good luck!}. Byron shrugs and turns toward the lift at the other end of the stadium.

Coming out of the elevator, a young woman walks into the arena. Her forest-green hair is tied up in a messy high ponytail, and her gym shoes are dirty from the dust and mud of many years in this Gym. Floating behind her is a bronzong, its shining metal frame reflecting the LED lights blazing throughout the room. Her smile is one of calm confidence, like she’s been training for this moment her whole life.

In a way, she has.

“Good morning, Breanna!” Byron exclaims, his Gym Leader persona taking over. “I trust your trip here was uneventful?”

“Easy enough, boss,” she says with a smile. Byron can’t help but be proud that she’s not only talking, but signs what she’s saying, just to make sure he’s fully catching everything. I knew she was a good choice. “Castigan evolved last night, which I’m super proud of.”

“I can see that! He’s going to be your ace, I take it?”

“Actually, no!” Breanna laughs, and Byron follows along. He knows her real ace. “Y’know, it actually occurs to me you’ve never met my full team. Is it alright if I show off?”

“Long as you let me do the same, kid.”

Sharing a laugh, the two of them toss all of the pokéballs on their belts and summon their teams. On Breanna’s side, a purrserker, Alolan dugtrio, togedemaru, and corviknight join the bronzong behind her, while a probopass floats out front. For Byron, a steelix, forretress, bronzong, magnezone, and aggron materialize around him, with Titan advancing out front.

“Shoulda figured. Let’s get the formalities out of the way.” He clears his throat and straightens his back. “Breanna Ironside, you’ve been chosen by the League to take my place as the Canalave City Gym Leader. Will the League confirm this claim?”

One by one, the rest of the leaders stand up and give their verbal acceptance of Breanna. Roark, in his usual miner’s getup, flashes a quick miner’s salute, tapping the brim of his helmet. Gardenia gives a quick thumbs up. Fantina, in her trademark drifblim dress, bows after her confirmation. Maylene gives an excited nod. Crasher Wake … is Crasher Wake. Candice gives her signature fist pump. And Volkner, though much more subdued than the rest, he still acknowledges her, at the very least.

“Looks like it’s settled, then,” Byron continues, “but we’ve got a little tradition, as you’re probably aware.” He gives a quick gesture with his head, and Titan lumbers forward. “A battle. One-on-one, ace-to-ace. You’re replacing me, so I want to see if you can match me.” He gives a quick smirk. “You think you can handle it?”

Breanna laughs. “I think Rapa and I can take you just fine, thanks.” She makes her own gesture, and the probopass floats on to the battlefield. “Who’s reffing?”

Off to the side, Roark clears his throat as he makes his way over to the referee’s pedestal. “Seems only fair, since it’s his last official battle and all,” he chuckles. “Are you ready, Breanna?”

“Been training for this moment for a while now,” she replies, cracking her knuckles. “What about you, old-timer?”

Byron smiles. “Let’s see what you’re made of, kid,”

“Alright, then!” Roark exclaims. “You all know the rules, so no need to wait any longer. Let’s begin!”

“Iron Defense!” both Trainers shout. On cue, both pokémon are surrounded by their own unique protective auras. Titan’s skin compresses and molds until it shines of a metallic sheen, while sparks envelop Rapa’s body, coating her in an electromagnetic stasis field.

“GWAHAHAHA!” Byron laughs. “Great minds think alike, it seems! Hit ‘er with an Iron Head to see how well it holds!”

“Out of the way with Magnet Rise, stay out of reach!”

Though Titan is able to land a glancing blow against Rapa’s head-like body, she is able to deflect most of the blow with her electromagnetic field. She then floats about 7 feet in the air, just out of the bastiodon’s reach.

“Sonnuva – okay, smart play,” Byron mutters. “Bring ‘er outta the sky with Flash Cannon!”

Before Breanna is able to respond, Titan lobs a bright, silvery ball of static energy at the probopass. The orb slams into her face-like frame, knocking her out of the air and leaving a small crater on the ground.

“Now, ‘fore she can retaliate, Heavy Slam!” he orders.

“Protect, shield yourself!” Breanna shouts.

Titan rushes forward, putting all of his weight behind an earth-shattering head bash. However, Rapa is able to summon forth a small EMP, rocketing Titan away and slamming him into the far wall. Titan withstands the blast but is clearly dazed as he lumbers away from the wall.

“Alright, Rapa, steady,” Breanna says. “Use a Lock-On, take your time.”

Some of the electrified energy holding the probopass aloft begins to spark across her body, illuminating her eyes. On Titan’s end, some stray filaments that had once belonged to Rapa’s mustache begin to orbit around the bastiodon’s body.

Byron has seen this before. Titan’s far too slow to dodge this. However…

“He’s in your sights, Rapa, Zap Cannon!”

“Counter with a Metal Burst, Titan!”

The closest description one could give to what happens next is the aftermath of a flashbang. Rapa launches a ball of electrified plasma at Titan, but the bastiodon, ready for the hit, flashes the metal spikes on his frill with an equivalent show of force. The ensuing blast blinds everyone in the stadium, forcing all the spectators to reel back and shield their eyes. No one can see the battlefield for at least ten seconds on account of the flash and the resulting dust cloud. Even Byron is thrown slightly back by the pulse, feeling his hearing aids jostling in his ears. There’ll be some ringing later, he’s sure of it.

But as the dust settles, both combatants are still standing. Titan is in a bad state, shaking with intermittent bursts off static electricity. Rapa, however, is barely hanging on, clearly battered by the pulse. Her stubby legs are tottering under her, exhausted. She can barely stand.

Just the result Byron was hoping for.

“Alright, Titan, you know what to do,” he says calmly. “Flash Cannon.”

Though he can’t hear the blast very well, he can see Titan laboriously shoot another orb of static energy from its mouth. It slams into Rapa’s form, slamming her into the ground. She does not get up, merely waving one of her floating arms in surrender.

“I think we can call it,” Roark calls out. “Rapa is unable to battle. Byron and Titan are the winners.” He walks over to Byron and taps his ear, a small grin on his face. “Might need to adjust the hearing aids, may have come a bit loose.”

“No worries, I got it,” he responds, adjusting the plastic in his ear. He walks up to Breanna, who’s tending to Rapa. “Nice job, kid! Helluva performance outta you two.”

She laughs. “Man, but what I wouldn’t give to’ve beaten you in my first official battle.” She sits down next to her partner, who has righted herself. “As is, yeah, it was fun, but … is this a bad sign?” There’s a look of genuine worry on her face for the first time today. “Should I have been able to beat you?”

A pregnant pause lingers in the air for a while. No one speaks for a few seconds, until…

“GWAHAHAHA!” Byron laughs heartily and slaps her shoulder. “Losing in your first battle’s practically tradition in this Gym!” His face softens, though there’s still a smile on his face. “I took over this Gym ‘round 40 years ago, and I still remember very clearly how badly I lost to my predecessor. Truth be told, you did much better than I did all those years ago.” He crosses his arms. “I taught you a lot these past few months. Gym protocol, the specific rules of the League, et cetera. But the most important lesson I can teach is one that you only learn through experience: it’s a Gym Leader’s job to lose.”

There’s a moment where Breanna processes this information. Crosses her arms, closes her eyes, the works. Then she nods. “Y’know, I never really thought about that.”

“No one ever does,” Byron replies. “Everyone think of the Gym Leaders as these insurmountable obstacles, but in the end, even the toughest of rock can be tunneled through with enough effort. Not enough people realize this, and many who do quit early.” He reaches out a hand too Breanna. “But with your talent and smarts, and Rapa’s power? You’ll be defeating Trainers left, right, and center. Hell, put in the time, learn some new techniques – and you will, believe me – and you’ll be able to beat me one day, I guarantee it.” He shakes the hand. “So whaddaya say? You in?”

The cocky grin reappears on Breanna’s face as she grabs Byron’s arm in a warrior’s clasp. “You know it, old man.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” He hoists her up and raises her arm. “People of the League, I give you your new Canalave City Gym Leader, Breanna Ironside!” The other leaders in the stands stand up, giving her a standing ovation. As it dies down, Byron continues. “Some of the other members of the League’ll help you get set up, and you’ll be able to design your badge in the next few days.” He pats her shoulder again. “I’m proud of you, kid. You’re gonna be great.”

Breanna smiles. “Thank you, Boss. It means a lot.”

“Please, enough with the formalities, Gym Leader,” Byron laughs. “It’s just Byron now.”

She nods, then starts muttering to herself in excitement. “Gym Leader, huh? I can get used to this.”

Breanna joins the rest of the Gym Leaders as they lead her from the arena, leaving Byron alone with Titan in the center of the room. He sighs, laboriously sitting down next to the bastiodon and leaning on his bulky form. Titan also sits, letting out a deep, rumbling breath as he makes some space for Byron to relax.

“You did good, partner,” Byron says, patting Titan’s frill. He sighs, crossing his arms behind his head. “Had a good run, the two of us. Even got to go out on a win. I think we deserve a break, huh, buddy?” Titan lets out a low moo in agreement.

“Yeah. Me too.”